Psalm 148
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels,
praise Him, all His host!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon,
praise Him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise Him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the Name of the Lord!
For He commanded and they were created.
6 And He established them for ever and ever;
He fixed their bounds which cannot be passed.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling His command!
9 Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedar
10 Beasts and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
13 Let them praise the Name of the Lord,
for His Name alone is exalted;
His glory is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for His people,
praise for all His saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to Him.
Praise the Lord!
The last three psalms, 148-150, are the continuous hymn of praise that form “the praises” at every Matins service (Orthros) in the Orthodox Church. 148:1 is the most frequent communion hymn: “Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights!” (verses 2-4 as well are often added). And 148: 2,5—referring to the angels—are used on Mondays and November 8th, days dedicated to the angels and archangels.
Two features in particular make Psalm 148 truly a cosmic hymn of praise.
First, the psalmist deliberately includes all three parts of the ancient conception of the universe: the celestial world (1-6), the nether world of the “dragons” and the abyss (7, here rendered as “sea monsters”), and the earth with all its weather, creatures, and tribes of human beings. In the psalmist’s vision of the redeemed universe, all the “natural” divisions and enmities of the fallen world are overcome, and all join in joyful praise of the Lord.
Second, the psalm employs a frequent biblical poetic form, merism, bringing together two contrasting words to designate the whole. Young men and maidens. Old men and children. But note especially verse 9-10, which is better rendered as: “…fruit trees and all cedars! Wild beasts and all cattle…” Cultivated and uncultivated trees, wild animals and domesticated animals. Wilderness and agriculture. This represents divine and human, working together in synergy in the world blessed by God.
We spend so much of our time running around, ticking off boxes on to-do lists and not noticing the poetry of the cosmos. This psalm invites us to slow down, pay attention and be filled with wonder, gratitude and praise.
Archives: Russian Women’s College, Brooklyn, 1915
Last week, historian George Soldatow of Minneapolis made a visit to the Archives for research on the Holy Annunciation Russian Women’s College that flourished for only one year in Brooklyn, NY a hundred years ago. Among some of his other projects, Mr Soldatow has previously written on Saint Alexis Toth and Bishop Innocent (Pustinsky), who served as an energetic missionary bishop in Alaska (1903-1909), returned to Russia, was later caught up in the “Living Church” movement, spent years in Siberian exile and ended his life as a martyr, executed in 1937.
Orthodox America 1794-1976 includes an intriguing short article about the College by Fathers John Matusiak and Vasily Lickwar, which I reproduce here in abbreviated form.
The college was opened formally [on September 14, 1915] by Archbishop Evdokim with the celebration of a Divine Liturgy and Service of Thanksgiving at Holy Annunciation Chapel near the site of the College, and with an Opening Act in the College Hall. The college was located in the former Russian Orphans Home.
Archbishop Evdokirn was personally responsible for the idea and creation of the College. He chose the faculty and supported the school totally with funds from the Mission.
The goal of the College, which was open to all Russian Orthodox women, was to supply vocations for women in the Mission. The vision which they had for these vocations was not too different from the function of deaconesses in the early Church: to serve as teachers, nurses and guardians and to influence Christian society by their conscious Christian presence, behavior and activity. The students, training and formation consisted of three elements: academic, sociocultural and spiritual. They attended classes, worked with people and participated in daily church services at their chapel. One chief consideration of the school was, of course, that their refined and educated young ladies, fit for the life of the Church and its interests, would become wives of the seminarians at St. Platon’s Seminary.
Although the college was not accredited, its level of operation was equal to the standards of any contemporary private finishing school for girls. It was modeled after the pattern of parochial schools in Russia for the children of clergy.
At the end of the first academic year, its total student body of seven girls from ages 17 to 25 was graduated, and the faculty and administration looked forward to another such successful class for the coming fall. Unfortunately, the financial collapse of the mission which accompanied Archbishop Evdokim’s return to Russia that summer made it impossible to reopen the school.